By Philip Yeung
The dispute over the South China Sea boils down to one ugly bedrock truth: US encirclement of China. Its containment policy is making waves, turning this previously peaceful corner of the Pacific into a hotspot. The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, regrettably, is not designed to factor in ugly geopolitical realities. This is the key to unpacking the fuss over the South China Sea.
Of the 14 nations which signed a joint statement supporting the 10th anniversary of its arbitration, only the Philippines has a direct stake in the case. The rest, members of Five Eyes and other busybodies, are but tentacles of the US octopus. These nosey parkers have only knee-jerk reactions on anything China-related. All are quick to condemn China for rejecting the ruling of the tribunal, simply brushing aside underlying geopolitical urgencies.
All 14 signatories need a lesson in geography. Canada, America, and France are all bicoastal countries. Britain, Japan, New Zealand and Australia are islands. To them all, freedom of navigation is problem-free and guaranteed. But China is a different kettle of fish. It is the only major power hugging a single coastline. With Taiwan already a flashpoint, China's major trade routes are lurking with naval threats. With 75% of its goods flowing through the South China Sea, it is China's Strait of Hormuz and America's deadly stranglehold over China. No containment, no China moves, and no dispute. It is not about real estate. It is about peace and self-protection.
China's economic survival and national security lie in these "crocodile-infested" waters. Anyone with an ounce of geopolitical IQ can tell you that without freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, America will have China by the balls. Like Taiwan, therefore, this region is off-limits and cannot be compromised. It is China's do-or-die Achilles' heel.
Interestingly, no other ASEAN country, except the Philippines, signs the statement, because they know what the Americans are up to. The Philippines, formerly a US colony, is hoodwinked into believing that it is a matter of national pride over some far-flung islets, letting itself be dragged into endless quarrels over what are teeny-weeny stakes for them, but a life-and-death matter for China. They are clumsy players of the geopolitical chess game. The sooner they see the regional big picture, the quicker they can exit this costly American trap. Your former colonial masters couldn't care two hoots about the welfare of their former subjects. But as a neighbor, it stands to gain big from the world's biggest manufacturing economy.
On paper, the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea appears capable of making impartial decisions on such ticklish territorial disputes, except in this case, among the tribunal's five arbitrators, one was appointed by the Philippines, with four others from Western countries, all swearing allegiance to their American super-boss. Tellingly, it was presided over by a Japanese judge. Thus constituted, the outcome was never in doubt. Predictably, it ruled against China. Predictably, China cried foul.
International law fails to take geopolitical context into consideration. Laws without context are poor laws, unjust laws, and instead of settling disputes, may inadvertently play into the hands of malign players.
The South China Sea is China's backyard. America has its Monroe Doctrine. Why can't China have its Pepsi when America has its Coke in its backyard barbecue? Philippine interests would be better served by engaging China in friendly consultations on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea. The Chinese, with harmony in their bloodstream, embrace good neighborliness for international relations.
Had the Philippines opted for consultation, Japan, Asia's notorious invader, would be denied the opportunity to fish in troubled waters. With cordial, neighborly consultations, the South China Sea dispute will solve itself. No need for 13 other kibitzers to join the saber-rattling.
There is a famous Chinese saying: "A good neighbor is better than a distant relative." Except in this case, the Yankees are distant but not your relatives, just former colonizers with their own not-so-honorable hidden agenda. You are not David up against Goliath. You are just gullible fools and American tools, with little to gain and much to lose. You are no patriots. And no heroes to your people.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of DotDotNews.
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